Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Teachers' Mathematics Qualifications On Student Proficiency, Riaz H. Zaidi

Dissertations

Schools across the United States face persistent challenges in strengthening mathematics and science education. The present study investigates the relationship between mathematics teachers’ qualifications and their students’ performance on standardized assessments, using data from a Midwestern urban school district’s ACT mathematics scores. Findings are discussed within the broader context of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and national efforts to enhance competitiveness among industrialized nations. Despite the presence of leading universities and colleges, U.S. students continue to rank near the middle internationally in math and science achievement, according to the Pew Research Center. Contributing factors include disparities in teacher …

Indigenous And Tribal Nation Scientists And Universities, Elizabeth A. Sumida Huaman, Stephen J. Smith

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Volume Cxlv, Number 7, November 7, 2025, Lawrence University

The Lawrentian

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

A Guided Ungrading Example For Independent Research Projects In An Upper-Division Ecosystem Ecology Stem Course, Christine S. O'Connell

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Ungrading is a pedagogical approach that, in some iterations, emphasizes formative feedback and student self-assessment over traditional point-based grading. While increasingly popular in the humanities and social sciences, ungrading remains uncommon in STEM courses, particularly those that are content-intensive. This article presents a structured example of ungrading implemented in an upper-division ecosystem ecology course through a 7-week independent research project. Students used public or previously collected ecological data to investigate a scientific question, culminating in a short-format, manuscript-style research paper and a 10 min oral presentation. The project was scaffolded with multiple checkpoints, including structured reflections, peer review, and instructor …

The Reciprocity Of Misfortune: The Little Tradition Of Disasters In The Philippines, Greg Bankoff, Bianca Angelien Aban Claveria, David Lozada Iii, Camille L. Silva

History Department Faculty Publications

Just as there is a great and little tradition in religion and civilization, there is a great and little tradition in disaster. This article explores the origins of community resilience in rural areas of the Philippines based on local reciprocity and cooperation and how ­ these customary practices form the basis of national disaster risk-­reduction policies. The endless strug­gle to feed and shelter a family and contend with repeated hazards, whether natu­ral or human-­induced, promotes collective action. There is a need to cooperate with neighbors, a web of dyadic and community relationships born out of necessity that constitutes a “reciprocity …

Otterbein Towers Fall 2025, Otterbein University

Towers Magazine

Around the 'Bein; Innovative Funds; Committed to Career and Community; Faculty Excellence and Innovation; Two Years of Education for the Common Good; Homecoming and Family Weekend; Philanthropy; Alumni Matters; Class Notes.

When The Student Becomes The Teacher: Learning-By-Teaching As A Tool For Conservation Career Development, Ana Dixon

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Theses and Dissertations

Dixon, A. (2025). When the Student Becomes the Teacher: Learning-by-Teaching as a Tool for Conservation Career Development

This study explored the research question: How do teaching-centered conservation career development programs influence participants’ science identity and self-efficacy? The literature review includes context on STEM and conservation careers, social cognitive career theory, science identity and self-efficacy, and learning-by-teaching. Participants in the Zoological Society of Milwaukee’s High School Assistant (HSA) volunteer and conservation education internship programs were given the option to complete pre- and post-surveys surrounding their participation in their respective summer program. These surveys measured individuals’ science identity, science and environmental self-efficacy, …

Fcrh Honors Program: Fall 2025 Program Highlights, Fcrh Honors Program

FCRH Honors Program Newsletters and Reports

No abstract provided.

Plants, Land, And Ojibwe Nations In The Adult English Language Classroom, Azul Kmiecik

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As an English language teacher in Minnesota, I have had many immigrant and refugee learners express a desire to understand the peoples, cultures, and histories of their new homes. As a settler colonist in Minnesota, I have an ethical obligation to counter the erasure of Indigenous peoples within our educational institutions and to grapple with the legacies of settler colonialism. These two threads come together in a project designed to respond to the question: How can land-based education and centering the voices of Native peoples be used to design lessons that foster adult ELLs’ reflection on Ojibwe nations’ unique relationships …

State Standards For The Outdoors: A Curriculum Guide For Middle School Life Science In An Outdoor Classroom, David Soltero

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

This project examines the idea, Can integrating an outdoor learning experience into every aspect of a Middle School science curriculum enhance learning outcomes? The curriculum is focused on Minnesota's 7th grade life science standards and adapts course and content requirements so that all class instruction and assessment may be done outdoors or within the outdoor classroom. Additionally, it offers examples of summative assessments that are closely aligned with Minnesota's state standards and the next generation science standards. In the literature review, strong support was found for the many benefits of spending time outdoors. The literature also discussed the importance of …

Integrating Environmental Education: A Continuing Professional Development For Minnesota Educators In Weaving Local Indigenous Knowledge Systems And Western Science, Sarah Genet

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

As of 2021, Minnesota’s updated academic standards in science for all grade levels include local Indigenous cultures, histories, and perspectives. The Minnesota Department of Education provides limited content and professional development guiding the implementation of these requirements, leaving educators to design and update their curriculum with little formal guidance. This capstone explores integrating Indigenous and Western knowledge systems to help answer the research question: ‘What must be included in environmental education curriculum interwoven with Indigenous and Western perspectives in science to provide a holistic learning experience?’ This capstone presents continuing professional development designed for upper-level secondary science and environmental educators …

Community-Based Learning Experiences Of Graduate Education Students Within Applied Statistics And Science: Emerging Insights, Carla J. Thompson, Sandra B. Davis

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Integrating community-based learning in graduate education programs is an emerging trend in the United States. This study examined community engagement in graduate educational statistics and science education using four procedures: (1) defining a conceptual framework aligned with National Standards for Community Engagement; (2) examining 10 community-based learning applications from graduate education programs in statistics and science relative to standards; (3) determining specific emerging characteristics of community-based learning; and (4) providing insights for graduate education programs.

Cultivating Community-Engaged Faculty: The Institution’S Role In Individual Journeys, Eric Malm, Nicholas Rademacher, David Dunbar, Mary Harris, Erin Mclaughlin, Caroline Nielsen

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Campus-community partnerships are increasingly recognized as important parts of curricula and have become central to the missions of many colleges. Yet while the notion of service is becoming more prominent at the institutional level, the number of faculty who are actually teaching community-engaged courses is alarmingly low. This paper addresses the problem of inadequate faculty participation in campus-community partnerships through the case study analysis of the pathways that brought six faculty members from different backgrounds and disciplines into the world of the engaged classroom. From the stories of individual faculty members, a model of involvement emerged that illustrates a common …

Gardens As Pathways To Environmental Education For All Ages, Lacey Anderson

The Cicadian

Gardens provide hands-on opportunities for environmental education that extend beyond food production, encompassing ecological literacy, sustainability practices, experiential learning, and community engagement. This article uses a creative nonfiction approach to examine the author’s personal journey from reluctant gardener to advocate for learning gardens. Through narrative reflection of her own family’s gardening experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the author illustrates how gardening fosters intergenerational learning, socio-emotional development, and curiosity-driven exploration of ecological systems. The article highlights how gardens function as accessible entry points for lifelong learners of all ages, demonstrating that environmental literacy can emerge outside of traditional scientific expertise. Ultimately, …

2025-2026 Ursinus College Course Catalogue, Office Of The Registrar

Ursinus College Catalogues, 1869-Present

A digital copy of the 2025-2026 Ursinus College Catalog. It contains details of the curriculum, departmental requirements and courses of instruction as well as the Open Questions core requirements, experiential learning and the Common Intellectual Experience (CIE). Academic policies, special opportunities and scholarships, off-campus programs and graduation requirements are also outlined.

Evaluation Of South Carolina’S Extension And Outreach Agents’ Knowledge Of Harmful Algal Bloom Management And The Impacts Of One-Day Training, George Strickland, Debabrata Sahoo, Michael Vassalos, Heather Nix, Sarah White

Journal of Extension

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) impact livestock producers. Most Extension agents have limited knowledge about HAB management. Our study goal was to assess agent readiness and training on HABs. We used data from in-person surveys of South Carolina (SC) Extension personnel. We examined how training influenced HAB knowledge using pre/post-tests. Training improved agent knowledge of HAB management, but water resource agents learned more. The results of this study can be used to identify Extension training shortfalls and drive policy to better prepare agents throughout the state. Further research should involve prioritizing additional extension topics and assessing knowledge in a similar manner.

Interdisciplinary Studies At Grand Valley State: Brooks College At Twenty, Eric Covey

Grand Valley Reports and Histories

This study, focused chiefly on academic programs, begins with a brief outline of the history of the Cluster Colleges at Grand Valley State University and then goes on to detail how the arrival of a new provost in 2002 revived and reshaped the idea of an independent college dedicated to interdisciplinary experiments. It was written partially to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies.

Conceptions Of Climate Change Skepticism: A Phenomenographic Investigation On Perspectives From Climate Scientists And Climate Activists, Candace L. Penrod

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This study addresses how climate change denial is understood by climate scientists and climate activists. This research also investigates what communication strategies addressing climate change denial are used by climate scientists and climate activists. Phenomenography was selected as a methodology to address the qualitative and quantitative aspects of this inquiry. Pre-recorded data from interviews with six climate scientists and six climate activists living in the Intermountain West were used as the data source. Interview transcripts were read, marked, and coded to identify how climate scientists and climate activists understood climate change denial. Five conceptions of climate change skepticism were identified …

An Evaluation Of Key Components Of Natural Resource Camps, Undergraduate Persistence And Success In Natural Resources, Brandy Bishop

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study explores the key components that connect natural resource camps, undergraduate persistence, and overall success through gainful employment within the natural resource industry. The aim of this study was to assess early interest and attitudes towards natural resource career pathways and how education interventions shape students’ career outcomes thus leading to overall success. A longitudinal mixed method design was used combining Conservation Careers Camp survey data (n = 39) with institutional records for Forestry majors (n =655) in the Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. Quantitative data was analyzed through …

Critical Communication Pedagogy At The End Of The World, Tyler S. Rife

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay draws upon my experiences teaching the undergraduate course, “Communication at the End of the World,” to argue for an approach to critical communication pedagogy (CCP) contextualized by and reflexively responsive to planetary-scale ecological crises. I outline how five commitments have come to guide my classroom’s explorations through our topic of “end-times” communication: (1) Anthropocentrism and speciesism participate in the maintenance of social hierarchy; (2) environmental justice and social justice are intimately entangled projects; (3) ecological crisis is (re)made concrete, embodied, proximal, and implicative; (4) critique of language involves critique of humanism and humanist historicization; and, (5) ecologically just …

Service-Learning At The Meso-Level: Integrating A Course On Sustainable Development With National Service Requirements, Mark Anthony D. Abenir, Helena Roxanne A. Indigne

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Higher education institutions have been leveraging service learning (SL) to enhance the effectiveness of sustainable development education within their curriculum and pedagogical practices.

Community Members’ Perspectives On A Community-Engaged Process For Supporting Vibrant Greenspaces In Detroit, Alysha D. Matthews, Guilherme Hebling Costa, Karl Erickson, Karin A. Pfeiffer, Amber L. Pearson, Benjamin V. Dougherty

Journal of Community Engagement and Higher Education

Greenspaces provide several well-being (Dinnie et al., 2013) and psychosocial benefits (Addy et al., 2004). Community-engaged research affords community partners a voice in the project (Cushman et al., 2004). This study assessed Detroit community members’ perceived benefits of and suggestions for engaging with the community to support greenspaces. Through qualitative analysis, a three-step process for community-engaged planning was revealed. Findings highlight strategies that involve community members in this process to enhance community engagement and well-being.

“There Is Just A Sense Of Joy In This Work”: Drivers Of Faculty Engagement With Community, David C. Ensminger, Mitchell A. Hendrickson, Jon J. Schmidt

Jesuit Higher Education: A Journal

American universities have been engaged with their communities as long as there have been universities in America. The nature, purpose, and motivation behind that engagement have evolved. This article explores the motivation behind faculty engagement with their communities. We wanted to better understand what compels faculty to participate in and work in the community despite the many and varied barriers that might stand in their way. We explored the why and how of participation with a significant emphasis on the why. This study builds on the work of Wade and Demb[i] and their Faculty Engagement Framework (FEM) described in …

Summer 2025, Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois

Augustana Magazine

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Field Trips On Adolescent Environmental Stewardship: Examining The Role Of The Dominant Social Paradigm, Gita Bhushal, Meghann Smith, Pankaj Lal, Neeraj Vedwan

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Promoting environmental stewardship among youths is crucial for inspiring collaborative, multi-generational actions to tackle long-term environmental challenges. This research study explores the impact of an environmental education (EE) field trip, which highlighted wastewater management and renewable energy technology, on high school students using the revised new ecological paradigm (NEP) scale as a key metric in a pre-post survey, which uses traditionally pro (NEP) and anti (dominant social paradigm, DSP) conservationist statements to measure beliefs towards the environment. When applying the Wilcoxon signed-rank test (null hypothesis t = 0, no change) to the series of environmental stewardship action questions “___ is …

Solid Waste Education For Fourth Grade Students In Washington County, Minnesota, Jessica Hall

School of Education and Leadership Student Capstone Projects

The topic of environmental education has grown in recent years, but this study discovered that there is a lack of education focused on solid waste. Four key themes were explored in the current literature: climate anxiety, place-based education, social-emotional learning, and behavior change. This paper is not a research study, but rather a summary of previous research with a discussion of the current situation supporting the need for, and process of, this project’s development. The guiding questions for developing this project are: How can 4th-grade students and teachers in Washington County, Minnesota, perceive the impact of solid waste education lessons …

Transformative Education: Paulo Freire’S Pedagogy Of The Oppressed And Its Contemporary Resonance, James P. Takona

Journal of Global Education and Research

This study explores the importance of Freire’s critique of the ‘banking model’ of education and its implications for contemporary challenges such as digitalization, cultural inclusivity, and sustainability. By addressing systemic barriers, Freire’s concepts offer valuable strategies for fostering critical consciousness, cooperative learning, and equitable opportunities. Culturally responsive teaching and sustainability education align with Freirean principles, providing tools to address global issues like inequality and climate change. These approaches recognize students’ real-world experiences, encourage critical thinking, and inspire collective action. The findings demonstrate Freire’s educational strategy as a valuable tool for educators and policymakers. By embracing his principles of dialogue, empowerment, …

Volume 34, Number 2, Summer/Fall 2025, Office Of Communications, Illinois Wesleyan University

Illinois Wesleyan University Magazine, 2018-present

VOLUME 34 | NUMBER 2 | Summer/Fall 2025

ON OUR COVER:

The Illinois Wesleyan University archives, housed on the fourth floor of The Ames Library, holds many artifacts of IWU history, including the original university charter and a gold medal awarded to John Marden, clas of 1909, for his breakthrough work in atomic science and engineering.

18 175 Years of Illinois Wesleyan University. Celebrate IWU's history with a timeline of the last 175 years of our community's milestones.

26 Alumni Award Winners. Meet our Award Winners John Camardella '03, Natalie Lalagos '12, and Carol Willis '68.

Living Heritage, Resilience And Ethically Informed Infrastructures In Malawi, Martha B. Lerski, Frank Puluputu Mwale

Publications and Research

Rooted in a rural community’s needs, this paper explores how historically, and ethically informed infrastructures can support community engagement towards identification, documentation, and dissemination of local, traditional, and indigenous knowledge relating to climate change. The paper examines climate adaptation and sustainability issues through the lenses of community organizing and Library & Information Science best practices. It draws on a growing body of literature identifying a role for expanded epistemological and subject discipline perspectives. While the impacts of climate on material culture are increasingly recognized, intangible, and biocultural heritage have not received as much attention. Living heritage traditions and knowledge systems …